5th Wheel Reliability

[DJ1096]

Unlike he auto industry that tends to have a vast database to pull reliability and quality information from. The Camper industry seems to be wide open for opinion. with that being said I'm trying to get feedback on 5th wheel manufacturers that tend to have a more reliable product. I've spoke to a number of RV Stores and of course they all have the best product. So far I have had a 17ft Jayco Hybrid and a 36ft Keystone Laredo (both with little to no issues). We are looking to upgrade to a 5th wheel and looking for some input on brands. Some that we have looked at are Laredo, Montana and Cougar (by Keystone), Crusader (by Primetime), Sabre (by Palomino) and Jayco.

Thank you in advance.

[Paul_Clancy]

There is no free lunch. Really well built = heavy and expensive. They exist but you pay. For a new company grand design is impressing. They are doing something very right. I believe they are putting big emphasis on the construction finishing itself. All parts are pretty standard but they seem to be packaging them with quality workmanship.

[wilber1]

mileshuff wrote:

batavia02 wrote:
Too bad northwood rvs seem to be really hard to find east of the mississippi everyone seems to speak highly of them.

Love Arctic Fox but just too expensive and heavy for me. The newer Fox Mountain line looks promising. Much lighter and less expensive so wonder if they have the same build quality as their higher lines.

Expensive and heavy. My thought as well. Have looked at the Fox Mountain, nice but wasn't overly impressed. We settled on our Grand Design Reflection as the best combo of length, weight and layout for us. Fit and finish is outstanding for a unit in this class, durability to be determined.

[mileshuff]

batavia02 wrote:
Too bad northwood rvs seem to be really hard to find east of the mississippi everyone seems to speak highly of them.

Love Arctic Fox but just too expensive and heavy for me. The newer Fox Mountain line looks promising. Much lighter and less expensive so wonder if they have the same build quality as their higher lines.

[handsome51]

Take a look at the Lifestyle 5th wheel

[batavia02]

Too bad northwood rvs seem to be really hard to find east of the mississippi everyone seems to speak highly of them.

[LEE3714]

Also consider manufacturers reliability. Forest River has man excellent reputation. Just returned from the FROG rally in Goshen. Service provided was out of this world and price was VERY GOOD. (free). 500 Forest River rigs and repairs/mods from major to minor were performed. AWESOME.

[JASPERJR]

GOING WITH THE MAXISS 8008 235 80R 16..... WHAT MY TIRE MAN FOR EVER RECOMMENDED.....

[lakeside013104]

Seattle Lion wrote:
You definitely get what you pay for. Even things (like the stove) that look alike are different in better units. We had a TT (Kodiak) that was nothing but trouble. This year we bought a Bighorn (Heartland). It's like night and day. Everything is first rate. There are some fit and finish issues. No trailer is exempt from those. However, Heartland customer service is excellent. There is a very active owners association and it holds rallies across the country.

We are very happy with our purchase and expect the problems all to be fixed when we bring it in next month. I have to say that it was well worth the added cost to buy a luxury unit.

Ditto on above, plus we too have a 2014 Bighorn that we are very satisfied with. Our dealer and Heartland have been remarkable to work with on the minor issues that arose. I highly recommend this product line. Good luck and keep us posted with your decision.

Lakeside

[MrVan]

valhalla360 wrote:
You are comparing an industry where a single model run is typically on the order of 20-80,000 units per year to an industry where a single model may put out a few hundred units per year. You can't expect the same level of statistical relaibility numbers to be available.

It's also not practical for the manufacturers to apply the same level of quality control without costs spiraling out of control.

Reality is the vast majority of manufacturers use the exact same hardware, frames, axels, appliances etc... There are likely some differences in the reliability of the actual assembly but after that they are all very similar.

Of course the high end manufacturers put out even smaller numbers than the low/mid range so it's even harder to create mass production efficencies and quality. Thier saving grace is they can afford to have people back check work and just cover warranty issues without a fight.

Don't expect there to ever be a reliability guide like you will find with cars.

I respectfully disagree that RV manufacturers cannot achieve car like quality at a reasonable cost. It is all attitude and intent. I was very much involved in the US auto Industry as an equipment supplier when they were getting their butt kicked by the Japanese over quality. When the US Auto Industry realized they had to do something, and now, about quality, they developed the right attitude about quality and starting doing what was needed. Not trying to "inspect quality in" like the RV Industry does now but to "Build it in" to begin with. When the US Auto Industry got serious about "building in" quality they made a surprising discovery their total costs of each vehicle went down. Partially due to lower warranty cost but also due to a more efficient assembly line. I've spent hundreds maybe even thousands of hours on Automobile assembly lines and let me assure you they used to be closer to the way RV's are built today than what you might believe. An example: Doors being adjusted for gap consistency with a 2 x 4 and a sledge. Doesn't that kind of sound like what goes on in the RV Industry today? I viewed that very thing when our bathroom door was out of alignment when we received it. The Dealer was told to beat on the frame with a piece of wood and a sledge. Higher quality leads to a lower overall cost product. The only reason the US Auto manufactures got serious about quality is because the customers detected much higher quality from the Japanese manufacturers and the US Manufacturers sales were taking a big hit. The problem in the RV industry is there really isn't any High Quality manufacturer to compete with and we customers keep buying the crap. So why should the RV industry change?

[2hams]

I looked for a year to find the floorplan, length and weight. I found that looking at the owners forums gave lots of insights.

As noted above, choice of dealer is also important.

We are happy with our dealer and love our Grand Design.

[minnow]

If looking at new, please carefully consider the dealer as well. You will need their support in the inevitable warranty issues you will have with whatever unit you decide to go with. I imagine you can get the good, bad & ugly lowdown by asking about the dealer you are considering by asking on here.

[C_Schomer]

Are you looking at used? My 98, 2000 and 2008 Sunnybrooks have been bulletproof and tougher than Chinese arithmetic. I'd be leary of about 2010 and later tho. Craig

[valhalla360]

You are comparing an industry where a single model run is typically on the order of 20-80,000 units per year to an industry where a single model may put out a few hundred units per year. You can't expect the same level of statistical relaibility numbers to be available.

It's also not practical for the manufacturers to apply the same level of quality control without costs spiraling out of control.

Reality is the vast majority of manufacturers use the exact same hardware, frames, axels, appliances etc... There are likely some differences in the reliability of the actual assembly but after that they are all very similar.

Of course the high end manufacturers put out even smaller numbers than the low/mid range so it's even harder to create mass production efficencies and quality. Thier saving grace is they can afford to have people back check work and just cover warranty issues without a fight.

Don't expect there to ever be a reliability guide like you will find with cars.

[BB_TX]

Can only speak for our 2007 Montana 5er as I have no experience with the others.
Bought new in July '07. Have been really amazed at how few problems we have had with it. And the few problems have been things not directly associated with the trailer itself. Propane regulator valve failed at about 3 yrs, microwave/convection failed after about 3 yrs, no-name surround sound/DVD system failed at about 4 yrs. Black tank flush valve failed at 6 yrs. Those are about the only problems we have had. Montana has been the leading seller for 11 years straight and I guess that speaks for itself.
I also frequent the very active Montana Owners Club (MOC) forum. And by and large most Montana owners are very happy with their purchases and buy new Montanas when they get ready to trade. Not to say they are entirely trouble free as some have reported more than what would be considered normal problems. But with MOC backing Keystone has generally resolved those problems to the buyers satisfaction. MOC holds multiple regional rallys each year and a large yearly rally in Elkhart with Montana representatives attending to hear complaints/suggestions and to give tech tip siminars.